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Paper or ... ??

I'm just bringing your attention to an article in my local paper and then I'm going to slip into a rant that you have heard before.

The article is about three scientists that hacked into an electronic voting machine. I'm not surprised. I wouldn't be surprised if two 14 year olds did it.

"Based on our understanding of security and computer technology, it looks like paper-based elections are the way to go," said University of California San Diego Prof. Hovav Shacham, who led the project.

"Probably the best approach would be optical scanners reading paper ballots."

I don't even like the optical scanner route. Once a voting record is made electronic it can be hacked. There is nothing wrong with the current system of paper ballots and human hand counting. Even if everyone voted we could still hand count and deliver the results in less than two weeks. We don't need instant results on something as important as elections. Now coffee and TimbitsTM - that needs to arrive post haste ... but I digress.

Elections Canada ..... is on track to try online voting in a 2013 byelection.

Online voting is being considered as a way to appeal to younger voters.

Now this is where the rant starts. Voter turnout is a real and troubling issue. I don't believe it is only a younger persons issue. Going to electronic voting is not going to solve the voter turnout problem. People just need to get off their ass and go out and vote. No excuses, just do your job. That's right I said job, your duty, take care of your responsibility, exercise your franchise.

And ... and ... more than just schlepping to the voting booth and making a mark, you have to inform yourself of the issues and the candidate / party positions. Yeah, it involves some time and effort on your part. Suck it up, buttercup. Considerable effort was expended to get you the right to vote.

They weren't interested, didn't like the candidates or parties, didn't think their votes would count, didn't like the political system or didn't care about the issues.

Another thought is that people have given up because political leaders don't talk about controversial plans during the campaign, but slam them through when they're elected. The carbon tax, public-private partnerships and the aboriginal reconciliation bill are among the examples provincially.

Electronic voting isn't going to change any of that. All electronic voting will do is add another way to game the system. History tells us that any possible method to game the system has been and will be exploited.

From the same article :

using symbols for the parties or photos of the candidates since Statistics Canada data show that four in 10 British Columbians are functionally illiterate.

Now that makes sense. It's sad that it's necessary in a country as "advanced" as Canada, but so be it.

Thank you for reading this far into an old flatlander's rant.

As a reward I will relay a joke attributed to Walter Cronkite ( A pretty good talking head if you want my opinion ).

How the heck have you been?
Good here. We had the tall ships out in our bay a few weeks back - the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftan. We were listening to cannon fire all weekend LOL. Summer has been dry up until recently, now we've had a few dumps of rain.

I have been harvesting my cherry tomatoes, grown on my deck. They taste like...get this...tomatoes. Delish! In fact, I'm going to do some food blogging later tonight, methinks.

... sadly. Staying out of trouble, no undue excitement, puttering in the garage. I've only had two cherry tomatoes as yet. There will be a surplus shortly though. Dug up the spuds a few days back. A disappointing crop, as always. We just can't grow a volume. They are tasty though. We have been fair wet here and damn coolish. But it is better than the dust blowing.

There was something else in your bay last week. My # 1 son. He and two friends rode their motorbikes to the coast. Took pictures of the bikes on the dock at Tofino and everything. He said it was a good time.

Sorry to hear of your recent health diagnosis. I suppose that it is good to know specifically what you are dealing with. I hope for the best for you.

I don't comment / complement enough on all the excellent journals you two gals are constantly putting up. "You've all done very well"

..that #1 son was out this way, I could have showed him around or had him over for lunch! I'm glad he had a good time and a safe trip.

I have spuds growing in my compost. Should be really gross and difficult to dig them out, even with the bottom slat thingys on the bottom of the bin. But I'm all about the bonus and surprise food around here, I guess. LOL!

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm going to be just fine. It's a journey and I'm trying to look at it as a gift in many respects. I know that sounds weird, but you do what you gotta do.

Thanks also for the complements on the journals. Pale really has been on a tear lately. I'm just the side show. ;)